If life gives you lemons, trade them for a big bag of local produce. That’s the idea behind the Westside Produce Exchange, a volunteer-run initiative that lets neighbors share the bounty of their home gardens with other locavoring Westsiders.
Have an abundant tomato plant—but no basil for your caprese salad? Join the Exchange and you’ll find out where to you can drop off those big reds on an upcoming Saturday morning—and get a bagful of locally grown vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers delivered to you that afternoon.
“We have such a unique opportunity with our 12-month growing cycle,” says Exchange organizer Naomi Curland. “We can always be eating locally and in season.” That’s what Westsiders have been doing since May, when the Exchange held its first event. Now, about 10 to 20 home gardeners gather at the Venice Learning Center with their homegrown produce once a month, ready to share their harvests. 
Joining the Exchange is like joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program to support a local farm, except the produce is always free and the local farmers are you and your neighbors.
Westside Produce Exchange is an offshoot of Hillside Produce Cooperative, a two-year-old program that collects and redistributes local produce grown by Northeast Angelenos. Curland took part in one of Hillside’s events and immediately volunteered to head up a Westside group. “I’ve been looking for community in West L.A. for a while, and this is a great community-building activity, Curland explains. “I love fresh produce and the idea that we can make use of food that would otherwise go to waste.”
Curland isn’t the only person who’s been inspired to start a local program. Produce exchange chapters have also sprouted in Ventura, Merced, and both the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys.
Don’t have space to grow your own produce? Then contribute your windowsill-grown herbs or even some home-baked goods. “Just bring whatever you have that’s extra,” Curland says. “If it’s a dozen cucumbers, half dozen, or three dozen, it’s all good for sharing.” Join the Westside Produce Exchange by emailing Curland at westsideproduce@gmail.com, or visit hillsideproducecooperative.org to find a produce exchange group near you.
—Siel Ju
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The Fairfax West Hollywood Produce Exchange is in the works. This exchange will cover the following areas:
Miracle Mile, Wilshire Vista, Park LaBrea, Carthay, Beverly Center, Mid-Wilshire, Hollywood and West Hollywood.
This newly-founded chapter of the Hillside Produce Exchange should be getting underway by eary 2011.
If you are interested in contributing, sharing, volunteering into this branch or have any questions, please contact Startrelle@gmail.com.